Bradley University is a private, co-educational university located in Peoria, Illinois (40°51′53″N 89°37′0″W / 40.86472,
-89.61667Coordinates: 40°51′53″N 89°37′0″W / 40.86472,
-89.61667). It is a medium sized institution with an enrollment of
approximately 6,100 undergraduate and postgraduate students.
History
Bradley Hall is one of the first buildings constructed for the university and bears the name of the university's founder.
The Bradley Polytechnic Institute was founded by philanthropist Lydia Moss Bradley in 1897 in memory of her husband Tobias and their
six children, all of whom died early and suddenly, making Bradley a childless widow. In 1896,
Bradley was introduced to the president of the University of Chicago, who
convinced her to move ahead with her plans to establish the institute. Bradley provided seventeen and a half acres of land,
$170,000 for buildings, equipment, and a library, and $30,000 per year for operating expenses.
Originally, the institute was organized as a four-year academy as well as a two-year college.
There was only one other high school in the city of Peoria at the time. By 1899 the institute had expanded to accommodate
nearly 500 pupils, and study fields included biology, chemistry, food work, sewing, English, German, French, Latin, Greek,
history, manual arts, drawing, mathematics, and
physics. By 1920 the institute dropped the academy orientation and
adopted a four-year collegial program. Enrollment continued to grow over the coming decades and the name Bradley
University was adopted in 1946. [2]
Academics
Baker Hall, named after
Murray M. Baker, is home to the Foster College of Business
Administration
Bradley University was recently ranked 6th among Midwestern comprehensive masters-degree-granting universities in the 2007
edition of America's Best Colleges published by U.S. News & World
Report. In addition, Bradley's Department of Industrial Engineering was ranked second among colleges that do not grant
PhDs. [3]
Bradley University was named 24th on the list of "Top 25 Most Connected Campuses" and "Top 25 Most Entrepreneurial Campuses"
in the nation by The Princeton Review and Forbes magazine.
The College of Education at Bradley University is NCATE-approved. [4] Additionally, of the nation’s 3623 colleges and universities, Bradley University's Foster College of Business
Administration is one of only 160 schools whose business and accounting programs are both accredited by AACSB International. [5]
Bradley University is organized into the following colleges and schools:
Undergraduate School
- College of Education and Health Sciences
- College of Engineering and Technology
- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Foster College of Business Administration
- Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts
- Academic Exploration Program (AEP), for students without a declared major.
Graduate School
Through its Graduate School, Bradley University offers Masters level graduate degrees in 5 of its departments; business,
communication and fine arts, education and health sciences, engineering, and liberal arts and sciences. Each has its own hourly
requirements and varies in completion time. The program of physical therapy provides a Doctor of Physical therapy degree.
Campus
Seen here from bottom left to bottom right are Wyckoff, Heitz, and Elmwood Halls, with Harper and Geisert (also from left to
right) dominating the background.
Bradley's 85 acre campus is located on Peoria's west bluff and is minutes from the city's
downtown. The campus of Bradley University is relatively compact. There are few places on campus which cannot be reached from any
other part of campus in under ten minutes on foot. Bradley's student housing is concentrated on the campus's east side, and the
dormitories include College (all women's), Geisert, Harper, Heitz, University, Williams, and Wyckoff Halls. There is also a
complex of singles dormitories and two university-owned apartment complexes. [6]
Also located on the south side of Bradley's campus is Dingeldine Music Center, which was acquired from the Second
Church of Christ, Scientist in 1983. The
Center serves as the main performance and practice facility for Bradley's instrumental and choral programs.
The Dingeldine Music Center
Bradley University is also the site of Peoria's National Public Radio
affiliate, WCBU-FM, located on the second floor of Jobst Hall.
Groups and activities
Athletics
The athletic emblem of the Bradley University Braves.
Bradley University is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
Conference-approved sports at Bradley for men are baseball, basketball, cross country running, golf, soccer, and tennis. Women's'
sports consist of basketball, cross country running, golf, indoor and outdoor track, softball, tennis, and volleyball. The men's
basketball team has appeared eight times in the NCAA Tournament: 1950, 1954, 1955, 1980, 1986,
1988, 1996, and 2006. In 1950 and 1954
they were in the Final Four, and in 2006 the Braves made
their first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 1955, defeating
4th seed Kansas and 5th seed Pittsburgh. However, Bradley's run came to an end in the Sweet Sixteen with a loss to the University of
Memphis. Bradley also won the National Invitation Tournament in
1957, 1960, 1964, and 1982.
In 2006, the Bradley soccer team lost in the MVC Championship. The university does not have a football team, having disbanded
its football program in 1970.
Controversy
In August of 2005, the National Collegiate Athletic
Association, which conducts collegiate athletics, instituted a ban on schools that use "hostile and abusive" American
Indian nicknames from hosting postseason games, beginning February 2006. Bradley, whose athletic teams are known as the "Braves,"
was placed on the list. In April 2006, the NCAA removed Bradley from the list but placed it on a 5-year watch list. [7].
After considering a new mascot to go with the Braves name, Bradley has decided not to create a mascot. Instead, the university
is considering a revised logo.
Forensics
Westlake Hall is home to Bradley's College of Education and Health Sciences.
Bradley University boasts the nation's most prolific college forensics
team, with their American Forensics Association Championship winning streak from 1980 through 2000 only broken in 1994 and 1995.
[8][9] Originally
established as an Oratorical Competition in 1897 by founder Lydia Moss Bradley, the Speech Team has become the most successful
intercollegiate team in history. In 2005, Bradley won its 38th national championship title at the National Forensic Association tournament at the University of Akron.
Since 1979, Bradley University has had one hundred and fifteen individual national champions. No other team has attained as
many individual national champions. Since 1980, Bradley has won nationals thirty-three times. This record of success is unmatched
by any other college forensics team in the United States.
Greek
Bradley chapters of the North-American Interfraternity
Conference, National Panhellenic Conference, and National Pan-Hellenic Council are primarily located on the south side of campus.
North-American Interfraternity Conference chapters
National Panhellenic Conference sorority chapters
National Pan-Hellenic Council fraternity chapters
National Pan-Hellenic Council sorority chapters
Other social and professional organizations
The Scout
The student run and published weekly newspaper, The Scout covers student life and issues on campus, Bradley sports, local
Peoria news that concerns students. Dates for local concerts, movie and music reviews can all be found written by students in The
Scout’s Voice section. Student staff rotates and changes yearly. Articles can also be found on the Scout website along with the
week’s comics and classifieds.
Notable alumni
Government, public service, and public policy
Literature, arts, and media
Business and science
Athletics
- Hersey Hawkins - professional basketball player
for the Chicago Bulls, Seattle Supersonics,
Charlotte Hornets, & Philadelphia
76ers; bronze medalist, 1988 Summer Olympics. All time leading scorer for men's basketball at Bradley.
- Jim Les - professional basketball player for the Utah
Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento
Kings & Atlanta Hawks; assistant coach for the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs; current
men's basketball coach at Bradley.
- Marcus Pollard - professional football
player for the Detroit Lions and Indianapolis
Colts
- Bobby Joe Mason - professional basketball player for the
Harlem Globetrotters.
- Matt Savoie - figure skater: U.S. bronze
medalist, member of 2006 Winter Olympics U.S. team
- David Thirdkill - professional basketball player
and a member of the 1985-86 Boston Celtics
championship team who also played for the Detroit Pistons and the Phoenix Suns
- Chet Walker - professional basketball player for the Syracuse Nationals, Philadelphia 76ers, and Chicago Bulls.
- Patrick O'Bryant - professional basketball player drafted ninth overall in the
2006 NBA Draft by the Golden State
Warriors.
- Kirby Puckett - was a professional baseball player for the Minnesota Twins and inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
- Anthony Parker - professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers.
- Gavin Glinton - professional soccer player for the Los Angeles Galaxy and Turks and
Caicos Islands national football team.
- Brian Shouse - professional baseball player for the Milwaukee Brewers.
- Lavern Tart - Most Valuable Player of the 1964 National Invitational Tournament and two time
all star in the American Basketball Association
- Gene Melchiorre - Basketball player, first overall pick in the 1951 NBA Draft
- Bryan Namoff - defensive starter for Major League Soccer team D.C. United
- Bill Stone - former halfback Baltimore Colts, Chicago Bears ('51-'54), former Bradley
Football head coach.
Infamous
See also
External links
References
- America's Best Colleges 2006. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved on February 7, 2006.
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